Chemistry

MIT is “taking a quantum leap with the launch of the new MIT Quantum Initiative (QMIT), reports State House News reporter Katie Castellani. “There isn't a more important technological field right now than quantum with its enormous potential for impact on both fundamental research and practical problems,” said President Sally Kornbluth during the launch event. “QMIT will help us to ask the right questions, identify the most critical problems and create a roadmap for developing quantum solutions that are both transformative and accessible.” 

Writing for Physics Today, Prof. Yang Shao-Horn, Research Scientist Sokseiha Muy and their colleagues explain the limitations and concerns surrounding lithium-ion battery technology while highlighting the potential of solid-state batteries as an alternative. “Although solid electrolytes can significantly boost a battery’s energy density by minimizing the battery’s volume, the greatest gains come from replacing conventional graphite anodes with higher-capacity, low-electric-potential alternatives,” they write. 

MIT researchers have developed a new AI tool, dubbed “DrugReflector,” aimed at speeding up the drug discovery process, reports William A. Haseltine for Forbes. The researchers used DrugReflector to test tested almost 9,600 drugs in different human cell types.“This system was 17 times more accurate than older computational methods and improved as it used honest lab feedback,” writes Haseltine. 

Prof. Alex Shalek and his colleagues developed a deep-learning model called DrugReflector aimed at speeding up the process of drug discovery, reports Heidi Ledford for Nature. “They used DrugReflector to find chemicals that can affect the generation of platelets and red blood cells — a characteristic that could be useful in treating some blood conditions,” explains Ledford. The researchers found that “DrugReflector was up to 17 times more effective at finding relevant compounds than standard, brute-force drug screening that depends on randomly selecting compounds from a chemical library.”

Researchers at MIT have uncovered remnants of “proto Earth,” which existed before a Mars-sized meteorite slammed into the Earth billions of years ago, reports Gayoung Lee for Gizmodo. The researchers “found an odd imbalance of potassium isotopes in ancient rock samples,” explains Lee. “Chemical analyses revealed the anomaly couldn’t have emerged from any known geological processes on modern Earth.” 

Using molecular evidence buried in rocks, researchers at MIT suggest that some of the Earth’s first living creatures are ancestors of the modern sea sponge, reports Ashley Fike for Vice. “The discovery suggests the earliest animals were simple, filter-feeding organisms that slowly cleaned the seas while the rest of the evolution was still figuring itself out,” says Fike. “These early sponges likely had no skeletons, nerves, or eyes – just porous bodies that absorbed water and nutrients. Yet they paved the way for everything that came next, from insects to mammals to us.” 

Writing for Forbes, Senior Lecturer Guadalupe Hayes-Mota '08, SM '16, MBA '16 emphasizes the importance of implementing ethical frameworks when developing AI systems designed for use in healthcare. “The future of AI in healthcare not only needs to be intelligent,” writes Hayes-Mota. “It needs to be trusted. And in healthcare, trust is the ultimate competitive edge.” 

MIT researchers have developed a new model that illustrates the chemical mechanisms underlying lithium-ion batteries, reports Gayoung Lee for Gizmodo. The findings could “lead to faster, more efficient batteries for electric vehicles, portable electronics, and more.”

A new study by MIT researchers suggests sea sponges may have been the “first animals to inhabit the Earth,” reports Maria Azzura Volpe for Newsweek. “In their work, the researchers linked so-called ‘chemical fossils’ found in ancient rocks to the ancestors of a class of modern-day sea sponges known as demosponges,” explains Volpe. “These chemical fossils—the molecular remnants of once-living organisms that have been buried, transformed, and preserved in sediment over time—were discovered in rocks that date back to more than 541 million years ago, during the Ediacaran Period.” 

MIT researchers have uncovered new evidence that suggests some of Earth’s first living creatures are ancestors of the modern sea sponge, reports Andrew Paul for Popular Science. The researchers identified 541 million-year-old chemical fossils embedded in sediment that they believe may indicate that some of Earth’s earliest creatures were the ancient relatives of today’s sea sponges. 

Researchers at MIT have proposed that liquids, such as ionic fluids, are “what’s important for extraterrestrial habitability, and not just water,” reports Gayoung Lee for Gizmodo. If confirmed, this research would “dramatically expand what’s considered the ‘habitable zone’ among known exoplanets,” writes Lee. “By current standards, the habitable zone is defined as the band within planetary systems in which liquid water can remain stable on the surface. When it comes to life, we’re understandably biased towards water; all life as we know it depends on it.”  

Jia Haojun PhD '24, graduate student Gao Wenhao and postdoctoral associate James Utama Surjadi have been named to the Forbes 30 and Under 30 Asia: Healthcare & Science list, writes Yue Wang for Forbes. The list honors those “who are using cutting-edge technology to innovative and improve their industry.”

Materials World reporter Sarah Morgan spotlights how MIT researchers have “combined the waterproof stickiness of mussel-inspired polymers with the germ-fighting properties of mucus-derived proteins, mucins, to form a cross-linking gel that strongly adheres to surfaces.” The new adhesive could be used to coat medical implants to prevent infection and bacteria build-up. Postdoc George Degen explains: “We demonstrate adhesion to wet tissue and metal-oxide surfaces, important substrates for biomedical applications. Moreover, our mucin-derived hydrogels discourage the formation of bacterial biofilms, raising the possibility of antifouling coatings.” 

MIT has been named among the top-performing intuitions in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024, reports The Economic Times. MIT ranks “first in 12 subjects, maintaining its stronghold in fields like engineering, technology, and computer science,” explains Economic Times. 

Prof. Sarah Millholland, Prof. Christian Wolf, Prof. Emil Verner, Prof. Darcy McRose, Prof. Marzyeh Ghassemi, Prof. Mohsen Ghaffari and Prof. Ariel Furst have received the 2025 Sloan Research Fellowship for “being among the most promising scientific researchers currently working in their fields,” reports Michael T. Nietzel for Forbes. “Sloan Research Fellows are chosen in seven scientific and technical fields—chemistry, computer science, Earth system science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience, and physics,” explains Nietzel.